Dighanikaya 9.415

9.415

Atha paribbājako ‘‘bhagavatā ‘ākiñcaññāyatanaṃ saññagga’nti vuttaṃ. Etadeva nu kho saññaggaṃ, udāhu avasesasamāpattīsupi saññaggaṃ atthī’’ti cintetvā tamatthaṃ pucchanto ‘‘ekaññeva nu kho’’tiādimāha. Bhagavāpissa vissajjesi. Tattha puthūpīti bahūnipi. Yathā yathā kho, poṭṭhapāda, nirodhaṃ phusatīti pathavīkasiṇādīsu yena yena kasiṇena, paṭhamajjhānādīnaṃ vā yena yena jhānena. Idaṃ vuttaṃ hoti – sace hi pathavīkasiṇena karaṇabhūtena pathavīkasiṇasamāpattiṃ ekavāraṃ samāpajjanto purimasaññānirodhaṃ phusati ekaṃ saññaggaṃ, atha dve vāre, tayo vāre, vārasataṃ, vārasahassaṃ, vārasatasahassaṃ vā samāpajjanto purimasaññānirodhaṃ phusati, satasahassaṃ, saññaggāni. Esa nayo sesakasiṇesu. Jhānesupi sace paṭhamajjhānena karaṇabhūtena ekavāraṃ purimasaññānirodhaṃ phusati ekaṃ saññaggaṃ. Atha dve vāre, tayo vāre, vārasataṃ, vārasahassaṃ, vārasatasahassaṃ vā purimasaññānirodhaṃ phusati, satasahassaṃ saññaggāni. Esa nayo sesajjhānasamāpattīsupi. Iti ekavāraṃ samāpajjanavasena vā sabbampi sañjānanalakkhaṇena saṅgahetvā vā ekaṃ saññaggaṃ hoti, aparāparaṃ samāpajjanavasena bahūni.

Then the wanderer, thinking, “The Blessed One said, ‘The base of nothingness is the peak of perception.’ Is only this the peak of perception, or is there a peak of perception in the remaining attainments as well?”, asked about that matter, saying: “Is there only one...?” and so forth. And the Blessed One answered him. Therein, “many also” means even numerous. “According as, Poṭṭhapāda, one touches cessation” means by whichever kasina among the earth-kasina and so forth, or by whichever absorption among the first absorption and so forth. This is what is meant: if, indeed, by means of the earth-kasina as instrument, entering the earth-kasina attainment once, one touches the cessation of prior perception, there is one peak of perception; but if, entering it two times, three times, a hundred times, a thousand times, or a hundred thousand times, one touches the cessation of prior perception, there are a hundred thousand peaks of perception. This is the method for the remaining kasinas. In the absorptions too, if, by means of the first absorption as instrument, one touches the cessation of prior perception once, there is one peak of perception. But if, two times, three times, a hundred times, a thousand times, or a hundred thousand times, one touches the cessation of prior perception, there are a hundred thousand peaks of perception. This is the method for the remaining absorption-attainments as well. Thus, either by way of entering once, or comprehending all by the characteristic of perceiving, there is one peak of perception; by way of entering again and again, there are many.